Solace in a Stranger
by LoyalFan
Summary: Zutara.Oneshot Katara's been separated from Aang and co and she really needs a shoulder to cry on. She finds comfort in a stranger in an Earth Kingdom village.


**A/N:**So instead of working on chapter two for _The Hunt _I wrote this one-shot. it's pretty crappy, but whatever.

**Disclaimer: **So I don't own Avatar.

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Katara had been traveling alone for over a month now. She became separated from the group during a lightning storm. She was the only one who couldn't hang on during Appa's descent to safety and had been swept into the ocean during the storm.

Katara was now wandering into a small Earth Kingdom village and headed straight for the local restaurant. She usually spent a couple of days in these small villages, hoping to hear news about the Avatar's whereabouts. It was the only way for her to be reunited with her small family and usually, if she waited long enough, she'd hear some news about them. Katara was beginning to grow tired of searching for them, she often wondered if they were searching for her too.

She took a seat in the very back corner of the restaurant.

"Hello. Can I get you something to eat or drink?" the waitress was kind and old.

Katara didn't have much money on her and knew that she had to save it. She didn't know how long it would be until she could see her family again. "I'll just have some water and a small piece of bread"

The waitress took her money and promptly returned with Katara's meager meal. Just as Katara was about to take a bite out of her bread, a mysterious cloaked man entered the restaurant. She couldn't help but watch him as he took a seat at the opposite end of the restaurant. The man was tall and when he moved, his cloak opened to reveal a slender, yet muscular body. Katara was entranced by this mystery man, despite the fact that she couldn't see his face. His hood remained on and the deep shadows hid his face. Katara was curious; she was sure that an equally handsome face would belong to his handsome body. She continued to stare until he looked straight at her. Katara was startled by the deep amber eyes that peered out of the darkness of the hood. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Luckily she didn't have to because the waitress came to his table and he turned his attention to her. Katara couldn't place those eyes, but she knew that she had seen them somewhere before.

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Zuko had been traveling from town to town looking for his uncle. They lost each other during an encounter with Azula and Zuko was worried that she may have caught Iroh. He ended up in a small Earth Kingdom village and decided to eat and rest before moving on. Zuko didn't want to attract any attention so he put the hood of his cloak on before going into the local restaurant. After scoping the restaurant out, he took a seat in the booth closest to the door just in case he needed to quickly get away. He was waiting for the waitress to come when he looked up, in surprise, to see that the Avatar's water bender was staring right at him. He found it odd that she was alone and thought that perhaps the Avatar and her idiot brother were elsewhere for the moment. He had always been too busy fighting or chasing her to notice that her eyes were a so brilliantly blue. They were hypnotic and he couldn't look away. He could've gone on staring at them for forever, but the waitress came and he snapped back into reality.

Zuko ordered some bread and ate slowly. Ever so often, he would look in the water bender's direction to make sure that she was still there. He decided that he would follow her and then confront her about the Avatar's whereabouts. Although his current agenda consisted of finding his uncle and surviving, he still was always on the look out for the Avatar. Zuko wanted to find him before his sister did.

After awhile, the water bender got up to leave. As she left, she glanced in Zuko's direction, but Zuko refused to look back at her. Zuko waited a few moments before leaving, he wanted to leave enough space between them. When he was outside of the restaurant. He saw that he had waited too long and he could see her in the distance, heading for the lodge. He would have to wait to confront her.

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As Katara left the restaurant, she glanced at the golden-eyed stranger. She was hoping that perhaps he'd look up at her so she could get a good look at his face, but he didn't. She sighed and walked out. She decided to head for the lodge. She was tired and needed to rest. Since the town was so small, she decided that she would leave tomorrow. She knew that news often traveled to small towns late.

Katara got the cheapest room available at the lodge and was happy to have a chance to rest in an actual bed. Since her solo journey started, she often slept in the woods, on beds made of leaves. As she ascended the stairs, she saw that the mysterious stranger had also decided to stay at the lodge. Perhaps he would get a room near hers and she could "accidentally" bump into him in the hall. She smiled to herself and continued to her room.

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Zuko looked around for Katara and saw the familiar blue vanish around the corner upstairs. He hurried to the front desk.

"Can you tell me what room that girl in the blue is staying in?"

The man looked indignant. "I'm sorry sir, but that information is confidential"

Zuko kept his cool and tried again. "She's my sister and I need to know what room she's staying in"

The man eyed Zuko. "If she's your sister, then what is her name?"

Zuko cursed himself inwardly. He had run into her on numerous occasions, but didn't know her name. He couldn't even think of any name to make up. He had no time for this nonsense and grew frustrated. In one swift motion Zuko grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt.

"If you don't want any trouble, I suggest that you tell me her room number" Zuko's voice was harsh.

The man was horrified. He valued his life more than the girl's safety and decided to tell the him.

"sh…sh…" the man couldn't breathe.

Instead of loosening his grip, Zuko tightened his hold on the man. "You better spit it out now!"

The man was in a panic and to the best of his abilities he spit it out "She's in room 210"

Zuko let the man go and he collapsed onto the ground. Zuko calmed down and asked if he could have the room next to it. The man willingly obliged.

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Katara had trouble sleeping. She couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious man his amber eyes. Those eyes were so familiar, but she couldn't put a face to them. She lie restlessly on her bed, trying her best to get to sleep. She eventually gave up on trying to sleep and headed for the garden she had seen from her window.

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Zuko sat next to the door of his room, waiting for some sign that the girl left her room. After a shadow would pass the crack underneath his door or when he heard a nearby door close, he'd wait a few minutes then crack his door open and peer outside. Hours had gone by like this, and he hadn't seen the girl. He fell asleep in his chair, but was awaken from his slumber when he heard the creaking of a door nearby. He waited a few minutes and peeked out his door, this time, it was her.

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Although the garden was small, it was lovely. The gardens in the Earth Kingdom were always very beautiful. The air in the garden smelt sweet. There were flowers everywhere. They lined the walkway and even some of the trees had flowers growing on them. There were small bushes throughout the garden, some were neatly trimmed and others were in the shapes of animals and other plants. Katara made her way to the center of the garden, toward the fountain.

She sat at the edge of the fountain and ran her hands in the water. The water was cool and refreshing and shone beautifully from the reflection of the moon. She started playing with the water, bending it into different shapes. She played with the water for some time, when she heard a twig snap on the walkway behind her. She lost her concentration and let the water fall. Her heart froze up and she began to panic, but she mustered up the courage to speak.

"Who's there?" Her voice quivered and her hands were shaking.

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Zuko followed Katara out to the lodge's garden. The air was cool and the moon was full. He hid in the shadows and had to wait patiently as she stopped to smell the flowers. He hid behind trees as he followed her to the fountain. He watched as she sat at the edge of the fountain. The moon was shining directly on her and she looked so serene. He was mystified as he watched her bend the water. The water was beautiful in her hands and he almost forgot what he was doing out there. He reminded himself that he was there to get information about the Avatar. He decided to make his move. He crept toward her quietly and tried to avoid making any noise, but his efforts were in vain. He stepped on a twig and gave away his position.

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Katara slowly got to her feet and turned around. She was still shaking and was surprised to see that the noise had come from the mystery man. Although she didn't know who this man was, the sight of him made her calm down. She slowly moved toward him.

"Oh, I'm glad that it's just you"

Zuko was confused by what she said. _She's glad that a complete stranger is the one who made the noise. _Zuko deepened his voice to mask who he really was.

"Umm…you're glad that it's me? But I do believe that we aren't acquainted"

Katara blushed. _Of course we aren't acquainted._ She fumbled a little with trying to find the right thing to say.

"Uhh…I know that we aren't acquainted, but I saw you…in the restaurant and I'm just glad that you're a familiar face…or…uh…I mean cloaked person" She cursed herself inwardly, she couldn't find her bearings.

Zuko smirked. "You may have seen me before, but you still don't know me. What if I'm a murderer?"

Katara shuddered. _He couldn't be, could he?_ Katara took a hard gulp. "Well, if you were a killer, than you would've been more careful about where you stepped and we probably wouldn't be having a conversation right now" She was very pleased with her rebuttal.

Zuko didn't know what to say to her, she was right, but he didn't want to let her know that. "What are you doing out here so late at night and by yourself? Aren't you traveling with someone else?" Zuko tried to make it seem like he was just asking casual questions.

Katara knew by the tone of the guy's voice that he wasn't a murderer. She breathed a sigh of relief. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to sit by the fountain. I'm not traveling with anyone else. I'm actually looking for my traveling companions, we got separated some time ago…What are _you_ doing out here so late at night and by yourself?" Katara cocked her eyebrow and shot the mystery man a questioning stare.

_So she isn't with her brother and the Avatar. "_I couldn't sleep either. I like taking walks at night when I can't sleep and it's such a beautiful night" It wasn't too hard for Zuko to sound sincere. After his mother vanished, he often took walks through the palace gardens late at night.

Katara smiled. "Oh…Well can I ask you to do something?"

Zuko was curious what it was she wanted him to do and he wasn't sure whether or not he'd do it. "…Yes…"

Katara's curiosity got the best of her. "I was wondering if…" Katara wasn't sure if she should ask. "…if you would take your hood off. I really want to see who I've been talking to"

Zuko panicked. "No, you can't see my face" Zuko let his words out harshly.

Katara was a little hurt. "But, why?"

Zuko could tell by the tone of her voice that he'd been too harsh. He softened his tone. "I just don't want anyone seeing my face. It isn't very attractive" There was some truth to what Zuko said. Ever since he'd been scarred he didn't like it when people stared at it.

"I'm sure that you're just being modest. I'm sure that you're very handsome."

Katara started to move toward Zuko. When she came close enough to see a glimpse of his face, she was surprised to see that he had a blue mask on.

"You're wearing a mask?"

Before Zuko had left to follow her, he had put his Blue Spirit mask on as a precaution.

"Sometimes I wear my mask when I feel really unattractive"

Katara was sure that this man wasn't as unattractive as he said he was. He had such lovely eyes, surely they belonged to a beautiful face. Katara moved closer to him until she was standing only a few centimeters from him. She reached for the strap that held the mystery man's mask in place.

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Zuko abruptly grabbed her wrist. He wasn't sure what was compelling him to do so, but he slowly moved his other hand to loosen the mask's strap. His heart was beating wildly and in a few moments Katara would know that it was him.

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Katara's heart and mind were racing. She was finally going to see the face of her mystery man. She had a strong feeling that he would indeed be very handsome. She was excited, but scared at the same time.

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The mask slowly fell and Zuko hadn't let go of Katara's wrist. Both their hearts were pounding in anticipation. He was scared that he had made a mistake and she was anxious to see her mystery man's face.

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After a few more seconds the mask finally came off and Katara let a gasp escape her lips.

Katara's mind went numb. "It's you!" She struggled against Zuko's grip to get free. "Let me go!"

Zuko tightened his hold on her. " I don't want to hurt you. I just want to…"

Katara had slapped Zuko in the face with her free hand. "Let me guess, you want to know where Aang is? Well I'll tell you where Aang is…he's out there somewhere with my brother and Toph and I don't even know if they're looking for me!" Katara was so furious that she let tears fall down her face.

Zuko's cheek was on fire, but he didn't let her go. He loosened his grip on her wrist and didn't know what to do about her current state. He tried to comfort her. "It'll be alright, I'm sure…"

"No! It's not going to be alright. I've been traveling by myself for a month now and I haven't seen any sign of them" Katara was now sobbing and she stopped struggling against Zuko.

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A strange feeling suddenly washed over Zuko and he let her wrist go. He soon found himself hugging her and telling her that everything would be alright and that her friends were probably looking for her right now.

Katara soon found herself calming down. She felt safe in Zuko's embrace. She looked up at Zuko, who had been rubbing her back for the past couple of minutes; she'd never seen this side of him. He looked so peaceful and sincere. She had never really looked at his face before this moment, but she saw that her "mystery man" was indeed very handsome. She dug her face into his chest and breathed in his scent. He had a light charcoal scent, but she liked it. She deepened their embrace.

Zuko had never been this close to a girl before. His heart was beating fast and he hated to admit it, but being this close to her made him nervous. He continued to comfort her and noticed that she had stopped crying and that she had even hugged him tighter.

Katara suddenly let go of Zuko. She had caught him off guard and he looked a little hurt.

"Thank you Zuko, but I really have to go"

Katara didn't wait for him to answer and turned hurriedly to leave, but Zuko grabbed her wrist again. Katara didn't struggle and he pulled her into a kiss. The kiss was tumult of emotion; sadness, longing, passion, and even love. Although their kiss was brief, Katara had broken their bond and left Zuko standing alone, it contained all they would ever need to know. In their one kiss Zuko and Katara both learned that their was someone out there who cared.

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Katara had rushed off to her room. She didn't stop to look back. She slumped into her bed and breathed in deeply, she hadn't yet caught her breath. She sighed and a lone tear slid down her face, for although she had found someone to ease her pain about being separated from her family, there was no one there to ease the pain that her heart now felt.

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Zuko stood rooted to the spot that Katara had left him at. That had been his first kiss and he couldn't have wished for it to have been with anyone else. She took his breath away and his heart panged in his chest. He didn't know if he'd ever see her again and worst of all, he still didn't know her name.

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**A/N:**So I hope you liked it and I hope it didn't suck too bad. lol. 


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